Asia

US, Microsoft warn Chinese hackers attacking ‘critical’ infrastructure

WASHINGTON, May 25, 2023 (AFP) – State-sponsored Chinese hackers have infiltrated critical US infrastructure networks, the United States, its Western allies and Microsoft said Wednesday while warning that similar espionage attacks could be occurring globally. Microsoft highlighted Guam, a US territory in the Pacific Ocean with a vital military outpost, as one of the targets, but said “malicious” activity had also been detected elsewhere in the United States. The stealthy attack — carried out by […]

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Japan says scrambled jets after Russian planes seen off coasts

TOKYO, May 25, 2023 (AFP) – Japan scrambled fighter jets Thursday after Russian “intelligence-gathering” aircraft were detected off its coasts along the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Japan, the country’s Joint Staff said. One Russian aircraft travelled from Japan’s north down along part of its west coast, while the other took a similar route along the opposite coast and returned the same way, the Joint Staff said in a brief statement. “In response, fighters of […]

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Three killed, including two police, in Japan gun and knife attack

TOKYO, May 25, 2023 (AFP) – A woman and two male police officers were killed in a shooting and stabbing attack at a farm in central Japan on Thursday, media reported. A suspect, believed to be a farmer in his 30s, was holed up inside a building after the incident, which also left a fourth person injured, the reports said. Residents were urged by authorities to stay indoors in the semi-rural area around the city […]

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China steps up response to US chip moves but economic reality limits how far

By Poornima WEERASEKARA, Luna LIN Agence France-Presse BEIJING, May 25, 2023 (AFP) — Beijing’s restrictions on American chipmaker Micron in retaliation to sweeping US chip curbs mark a major step up in its response to Washington’s pressure and could open the door for further measures in the geopolitical standoff, analysts say. But they warned President Xi Jinping’s ability to raise the stakes will be limited as he battles to re-energize the world’s number two economy […]

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Typhoon Mawar pounds Guam with destructive winds

LOS ANGELES, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – Typhoon Mawar made a slow and brutal pass over the US territory of Guam on Wednesday, knocking out power as ferocious winds smashed windows and storm surges flooded buildings in the worst storm to hit the Pacific military outpost in decades. People on the remote speck of America hunkered down as the eye of the storm passed just north of the island with winds gusting at up to […]

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Indonesia’s Merapi volcano erupts, spewing ‘avalanche’ of lava

JAKARTA, May 23, 2023 (AFP) – Indonesia’s Mount Merapi, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted on Tuesday, spewing lava more than two kilometres from the crater. Dramatic images of lava pouring from the volcano’s smoking crater were published by the government-run Merapi Volcano Observatory. Dozens of small tremors related to Merapi’s eruption were recorded on Tuesday, according to the Centre for Research and Development of Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG), a government agency that […]

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Sri Lanka navy finds 14 bodies in capsized Chinese boat

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 24, 2023 (AFP) — Sri Lanka’s navy said Wednesday it had located 14 bodies inside a Chinese fishing boat that had capsized last week with 39 crew on board. The discovery came a day after a preliminary Chinese government probe concluded there were no survivors. The Lu Peng Yuan Yu 028 overturned on May 16, with 17 Chinese, 17 Indonesians and five Filipinos on board within Australia’s vast search-and-rescue region, 5,000 […]

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South Korea to launch homegrown rocket for third test

SEOUL, South Korea, May 24, 2023 (AFP) — South Korea was set to launch its homegrown Nuri rocket Wednesday and try to put a working satellite into orbit — potentially a key development for the country’s burgeoning space program. This is the third launch of Nuri, following a failed first attempt and a successful second mission last year, but during those tests the rocket carried payloads mainly designed for verifying the performance of the launch […]

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Chinese diaspora bears brunt of Canada-Beijing tensions

By Mathiew LEISER, Marion THIBAUT Agence France-Presse TORONTO, Canada, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – The Chinese diaspora has been caught in the crossfire of Ottawa’s row with Beijing over its alleged meddling in Canada’s affairs — facing both intimidation from Chinese operatives and rising stigmatization. And each new spat between their ancestral home and adoptive country — the latest being tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats in May — brings additional stress for the community. Many people […]

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India PM says ‘separatists’ must not harm Australia ties

SYDNEY, Australia, May 24, 2023 (AFP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Wednesday that “separatist elements” should not be allowed to hurt India-Australia relations, after he was lavished with a rockstar welcome in Sydney. Lured by the world’s most populous market and the promise of a counterweight to a rising China, Australia has batted away questions about India’s treatment of opponents and minorities, suggesting they are domestic issues. Modi appeared to have no such qualms. […]

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The octogenarian architect working to flood-proof Pakistan

By Ashraf KHAN Agence France-Presse TANDO ALLAHYAR, Pakistan, May 24, 2023 (AFP) — At 82 years old, architect Yasmeen Lari is forging the way in fortifying Pakistan’s rural communities living on the frontline of climate change. Lari, Pakistan’s first woman architect, has ditched a lifetime of multi-million dollar projects in the megacity of Karachi to develop pioneering flood-proof bamboo houses. The few pilot settlements already constructed are credited with saving families from the worst of […]

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‘Modern slavery’ most common in North Korea and Eritrea: study

LONDON, May 23, 2023 (AFP) — North Korea, Eritrea and Mauritania have the highest prevalence of modern slavery in the world, according to the 2023 Global Slavery Index published Wednesday, which noted a “worsening” situation globally since its last survey five years earlier. The report said an estimated 50 million people were “living in situations of modern slavery” in 2021, an increase of 10 million over 2016, when the problem was last measured. The figure […]

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